Opportunities

1.a) A favorable circumstance or combination of circumstances.
1.b) A favorable or suitable occasion or time.
2. A chance for progress or advancement.

Life's full of opportunities. If we only opened our eyes to see them. Sometimes they come in waves, sometimes hidden and alone. But they're always there, somewhere behind the next corner, waiting to be discovered. We just need to use them.

Here's a little story (the similarity with current events in Japan was not intended, interesting synchronicity though...):

It's a stormy afternoon in a small village in northern Spain. Worrying news of a broken dam in a nearby valley have just been announced on the radio. The situation is getting quickly out of control. In his house by the river, Sebastian is standing on the balcony and is watching how the rising water is taking over his garden. Everything around him is already under water. Suddenly a man in a canoe comes by and offers him a lift to dry lands.
“No, thank you”, Sebastian says, “I have faith that God will save me.”
The canoeist shakes his head in disbelief, and sets off.
The water keeps rising, and soon Sebastian is forced to climb onto his roof. His situation is becoming desperate. Luckily a boat comes by.
“Come on”, the captain says, “we get you out of here.”
But Sebastian is not interested.
“I'm fine, I have faith that God will save me.”
The captain tries to convince him to change his mind, but without success. Just as the canoe, the boat sets off too.
About half an hour later the water has risen so much that Sebastian is standing on the very tip of his roof, with his feet starting to get wet. When all seems already lost, a rescue helicopter appears. A rope ladder is lowered, but to the surprise of the helicopter crew Sebastian refuses to climb up.
“I stay here because I have faith that God will save me”, he shouts up towards the sky.
After a few minutes, with the storm getting fiercer and fiercer, the helicopter disappears in the darkening sky.
Five minutes later, Sebastian is dead.
He arrives in heaven, where God welcomes him.
“How are you my friend?” God asks.
“I'm very disappointed”, Sebastian says, quite furiously. “I had so much faith in you, I really believed you were going to save me.”
God looks at him with astonishment.
“Well, I sent you a canoe, a boat and even a helicopter. What else do you want me to do?”

So many times we get offered a helping hand, from God, Life or simply a Friend. But we don't take it. And I think it's not that we don't want to – we just don't see it, the chance to change our current situation. And so we become collectors of missed opportunities, while complaining about the unfairness of life. It's weird, isn't it?

So, I invite you to look for all those opportunities that life throws at you, to grasp them, take them and make a change for the better.
The chance is (y)ours!